Those who fell
by PottedPotato
Summary: The Frontier. Home to Billions of people, and the largest conflict since the war in the core system. Some fight for money, others for Duty. Some, fight for a miracle, peace to the frontier. And yet, there are those who fight, so that others never have to. A young pilot, barely a year under her belt. An ace with a heart of gold but a troubled mind... Fate truly is cruel.
1. Duty

_The battle of Troy was barely a victory, but it gave us enough. The IMC officer who became our High Command, giving us a chance to win this entire thing. A former IMC pilot who was last seen in Angel city. Intel suggests he's a drunkard, but command says he's vital. They would have us drop into the Harbour district in groups, and scour the bars to find him. If only it could be as easy as that._

 _-Pilot Tessa Jones, MCOR_

District 12. Never thought I'd see home again so soon. Too bad circumstances couldn't be better. I stifled a sigh as I walked down the street. Following behind me was my partner Rodriguez. The commander had pulled many Angel City residents prior to the war into the operation, all for some retired IMC.

Two doors down from the place, I stopped. "So how we gonna do this?" I peered into the shop we had just stopped infront of. If anybody saw us from inside, they would probably assume we were window-shopping.

"I'll head in first. The chance of someone recognising me is low, but it's still better to be safe." I gestured at the store, pretending to draw his attention to an item on display. "Come in after 3 minutes. Communicators on, I'll warn you if things get heated."

He shook his head, speaking in a voice slightly above a whisper. "Will do. See you in 3."

I turned away from the shop, walking further down the street until I reached a bar, the sign above the door, announcing the place as _Days Past_ , muffled sounds coming from inside. I pushed through the door, letting it shut behind me as I scanned the room, which already had people inside.

Didn't matter that it was barely past noon, people still found reasons to drink.

I was about to put on a smile when my gaze fell onto the man in the back. He sat at the corner table, an untouched mug in front of him. Silver jacket, patch on the left side of his chest, a red triangle with the three letters…

"IMC" I whispered. When the man looked up and saw me staring, I quickly moved my gaze. I could hear Rodriguez questioning me through the earpiece, obviously as surprised as I was about the presence of an IMC soldier. "I'll distract him when you come in to get the data." I whispered, shrugging off my coat to cover my talking.

I walked up to the bar, ignoring the gazes of the group of men in the bar that were obviously staring at me in less than… amiable ways.

As their conversations started again, I ordered a drink, before moving to the IMC soldier's table. "Mind if I…" I gestured at the chair opposite him. He waved at it, and taking it as assent, I sat down with my hands on my lap.

Before I could think of something to start a conversation, he took the initiative.

"It's been a while Tessa. How you've been?" I froze, catching myself from reaching for the p2011 in my pocket. How the hell… Why would the IMC know about me? Oh god what if there's a bounty on me, I've barely been in combat…

"You don't recognise me? Have I really changed that much?" I pulled myself out of my speculations, taking the time to study the man in front of me. Brown hair loomed over his startling blue eyes that stared back into mine. He had a lopsided grin, and a scar that travelled from just below his lips to the right side of his neck…

My breath hitched as realisation dawned. "A-Alex?" His widening grin was my answer. I shot up from my seat as he stood up. I launched myself into his arms, embracing him tightly. I melted into him as he returned the favour, before he pulled away, chuckling as he laid a hand on my head. "You've grown taller." He noted.

I rolled my eyes, absently noting Rodriguez entering the bar. "No shit. It's been years since I've seen you."

I sat back down as he returned to his seat. "Yeah". He looked down at the glass infront of him. "6 years. So, what've you been up to?" His tone switched, his grin back on his face. "Found a boyfriend yet?"

My face reddened as I tried to make coherent words, while he laughed openly. "Jerk" I muttered, kicking his shin. "Still the same little girl." He wiped the tears from his eyes. "So, story time. What's changed since I've gone?"

I paused. What do I tell him? "Well the house is gone. IMC took it. I moved in with some friends in another place." Not technically a lie, but not the full truth either. He nodded, a frown on his face.

"Do- Do you want the house back?" He hesitantly asked. I paused, staring at him. "Well, I can probably pull some strings, since the amount I sent back wasn't enough, I'll just offer something else." He shrugged.

"No! um, there's no need to do that." I reassured him. To take his mind off it, I told him off what else happened over the years. The friends I made, the things I've learnt, everything but the Militia. He listened attentively, asking a few questions every now and then, often teasing me whenever I brought up a male name.

"…And yeah, that's pretty much it." I summed up the years. He nodded, making a humming sound. As the silence grew, I asked him. "What about you? How's the IMC?"

He grimaced, before shrugging. "It's just work I guess. Though some of the planets they throw us on are really crossing the line." I laughed. "Really? Since when did the one and only Alexander Miller have standards on planets?"

His face devolved into a scowl. "Maybe when the place is nothing but sand for miles. Maybe when the wildlife is trying to kill us. Maybe it's when the bloody Civs turn into suicide bombers and drop buildings on us! Or…" He trailed off, taking a deep breath.

I sat there silently, watching the man infront of me calm down. He's a pilot. Why does he have to be a pilot? Did I kill a few million people in my previous life?

"I'm sorry." His voice drew me back to reality. "You don't deserve my anger, it's just…" He trailed off again.

"Dead end. The owner doesn't know where Barker is." Rodriguez's voice saved me from attempting to salvage the conversation. "Frustrating? I understand." I talked slowly, before glancing at the watch on my wrist, faking a gasp. "Oh, is it already this late? I promised to help my friends with something." I stood up, turning around as I pulled my jacket on.

"Wait, no!" He gripped my arm. Rodriguez stiffened at the bar, hand sliding underneath his coat. I stared into his eyes as his grip loosened. "Please" He half-whispered. "Just- just a little longer." He was shaking. His eyes that were once tranquil like the sea, looked to have a storm brewing.

I hesitated, before nodding once, sitting back down. "They'll just have to wait for me at the place then." I smiled at Alex, hoping that Rodriguez got my hint and started moving.

He heaved a sigh, sinking back into his chair, burying his face into his hands. I pushed the glass towards him. "Drink up. You'll feel better."

He looked up, a small smile on his face. "I thought I'm supposed to be the older sibling here." He sighed. "That's not for me though." He sighed again, looking at me.

"Do you remember what mom and dad said?" I nodded mutely. They had told me to listen to Alex, and that even if he's not my real brother, that he'll look after me all the same. "When those people led them away, I was furious. Who were these IMC shits to take them away." He shook his head. "Then 5 years later I enlisted to join them."

He smiled, as if remembering that time. "You had just turned 16, and I was running away to the people who stole them from us. I promised to call you, and we both know that didn't happen."

He shook his head. "I was fast-tracked to Pilot training due to some recommendation. After the training, from a course of 300, only 4 others and myself made it out. And from there we were thrown into the war." He stopped, looking at me as if to gauge my reaction. I laid my hand over his. Comforting people was never my strong suit. He held it gently, as if afraid if he grasped it too hard, I would break.

"My partner, Jacobs. He was from Angel city too. He liked the people, but preferred the beer more." He chuckled before he turned his gaze downwards. "I was supposed to cover for him. I told him the Civs weren't a threat when he wanted to threaten them to get them out of the area. I wasn't fast enough when the explosions hit." He tightened his grip, making me gasp unconsciously. "He pushed me out of the way, before the entire thing came down. We couldn't even get him out because they kept throwing themselves at us."

"When we got back to the Sentinel, we were granted leave to sort things out, and since we were both from the city, I was s'posed to notify the family. They- well they didn't take it well."

"I can imagine."

He nodded slowly, releasing his grip on my hand. "Honestly, things like this is probably why Barker got this way."

My breath hitched. "Barker? Who's that?" I asked slowly.

"You don't know him?" He raised his brows. "He's regarded as a sort of hero here. Veteran of the Titan wars, took to the drink afterwards. Although I can kind of understand why now." He muttered the last part.

It was him. The new commander had made it clear that the man would be vital to his plans, and yet, despite Rodriguez pestering her to get a location in her ear, I wanted to stop this. To have to use Alex for information when he was suffering through his emotions.

But peace came first. The peace that only the Militia could provide.

"Why not go and find him then? He probably has advice and ways to cope."

"Yeah, I'd prefer not to get shit-faced this early in the day." He snorted. "and besides, he's made it clear that he'd rather not have youngblood like me bust into the bar down at 5th."

"Ah"

He nodded slowly, before sighing. "I shouldn't keep you for longer." He stood up, pulling me into a hug. "Sorry about the house. I know how much you wanted to keep it for them." He murmured.

I pulled away, smiling. "It's fine Alex. At least I still have you."

"I don't know about that." He shrugged, looking off to the side. "I have a feeling this war Ain't going to be nice to either of us."

As I left the bar, I was pulled to the side. When we entered into an alleyway, Rodriguez turned around.

"The commander's been informed of Barker's location, our gear's back at the safehouse. But more importantly, what the hell was that Jones?"

I tilted my head to the side. "What do you mean? I just talked to him."

"Do you know who that was. That's Alex Miller." Seeing my confused face, he continued. "The Crimson stryder? Bright Star? He's bloody rank 6 on the threat list!" He threw his hands up in frustration.

"I- I see." I started off towards the safe house, Rodriguez following me soon after.

"I've informed the commander of his presence, but the operation's still green. We're to suit up and join the distraction.

I numbly nodded. Had all these years really changed him that much to be considered a high-level threat?

"Friendlies coming out"

Rodriguez and I stepped out from the alleyway, walking over to the waiting party. I caught a glimpse of a person being lowered into the sewers, as the commander and one other followed.

"Jones, Rodriguez. Nice of you to join us." A voice came from the nearby titan. I lazily waved at him while my partner gave a brief nod. "Captain Hainey. Ready to serve."

"Good." The titan stood up, unholstering it's autocannon and turning around. "Let's buy them some time."

At the top of my HUD, Bish's face lit up. "All pilots, keep the IMC distracted until we get the all clear. Good luck." His face was replaced with MacAllan's. "Good luck people, give'em hell." The transmission winked out of view, as the sound of gunfire filled the streets.

I ran forward into a building, ducking behind a desk as a few IMC grunts ran past. As they passed me, I stood up, levelling my Spitfire at their backs. The gun barrel jerked upwards as I mowed down the grunts who had hardly enough time to shout a warning to their friends.

As the last body hit the ground, I turned and sprinted up the stairs. Taking two steps at a time, I took a look at the fighting outside.

Almost instantly, a shot pinged off the windowsill. I swore, pulling my head back. Well, if that's how they want to play…

I started running down the stairs, activating my cloak as I did so. One shot at this.

I left the building just as an IMC titan fired both a Rocket salvo and it's Chaingun at the building. I took a deep breath, watching as the titan turned to fire upon a group of our riflemen that had just turned the corner.

Half of them were nothing but red mist before they ducked behind cover. I took a deep breath, firing out of my cloak and killing the grunts and spectres that was following the Atlas. I jumped up to the balcony beside it before using my jump kit to get on top of it.

As I landed on it's back, the titan remained focused on the riflemen down the street. "At least it doesn't have smoke" I pulled out a loose panel, quickly unloading into the circuitry.

The titan stopped firing at the group as it spun, first to the left, then to the right. Smoke seeped through its armour as the inner systems got damaged, before eventually, the whole thing caught fire.

"Good work Pilot, you just doomed an Atlas" Bish's face popped up, before quickly disappearing as the titan stopped moving.

I quickly jumped off the top as the hatch opened up, the pilot inside ejecting into the gunfire from the riflemen down the street. "Hooah pilot!"

I reloaded my gun, smiling as the Riflemen thanked me, before running off through the back-alleys.

A hand grabbed me by my shoulder as I passed a doorway. I turned around to see a fist headed for my face. I fell back dazed as an IMC pilot jumped on top of me, knife already plunging towards my chest.

I grabbed the blade, wincing as it cut open my palm, as we struggled. "All you Rebels think about is yourselves, so why don't you make it easier now and just die!" He snarled, pushing downwards with more force.

I got my feet up, and kicked him off me, rolling away to a safe distance. He grunted as he hit a wall, eyes never leaving me. "You bring nothing but chaos to the frontier and yet, you don't know when it's over."

 _BOOM_

I winced at the sound, looking upwards at the cause. My eyes widened as I saw it. The IMS Sentinel, a super carrier. I turned my attention back to the pilot infront of me, who was… taking the time to gloat?

"Look at that and tremble rebel scum. The IMC will not back down to the likes of you." He gripped his knife, pulling it forward. "We will make you suffer. Just like you did to us." He dashed forward. I raised my arm to block his jab, ducking under his swings, before he raised his leg and kicked me into the wall.

I gasped as the air left my lungs, grasping weakly at the knife that was now pressed against my chest once more. No way out of this one. I tried mom, dad. I'm too weak to avenge you. I'm sorry…

A shot. The force behind the knife disappeared. I opened my eyes in surprise, only to see the pilot falling to the side.

"What kind of Bullshit death were you trying to pull?" I looked at the entrance of the alleyway. Standing there was a Militia pilot, his Wingman barrel smoking. "Th-Thanks." I went to pick up my Spitfire, wincing as the pain from my hand worsened.

"You got your titan ready?" I nodded, holding the LMG loosely. "Well call it in then. We've been hammering them, but I'd rather take no chances."

A few seconds later, a pod came down, crashing outside the alleyway. I ran up to the Ogre-class, jumping up as it reached up and put me inside the cockpit. "Pilot mode engaged" a soothing voice called out.

I unholstered the autocannon from my titan, just as my rescuer popped out, his own Atlas following him with a quad rocket on hand. "Ready to get back in the fight Pilot?"

I advanced down main street, shooting at any grunts that poked their heads out from cover, and occasionally taking pot-shots at the pilots who were running on the rooftops. Whoever I missed and didn't kill were cleaned up by the other Pilot and his titan next to me.

Suddenly, chatter erupted from my headset. "All militia forces, 3rd merchant fleet at your service. We'll take it from here."

I looked up to see our hornets swarm the carrier with the assistance of the newly arrived cruisers. With the fire being concentrated on the back-left engines, the shields sputtered out, resulting in them shutting down, leaving the ship listing towards its side.

"Good job pilots, the IMC are in full retreat, and the package is secure. Pack it up." Bish congratulated us as the remaining IMC retreated back into their Goblin, warping away.

I got out of my pilot, heaving a sigh of relief. "You did well there."

I turned to see the pilot from the alleyway approach me. I nodded in thanks, reaching out with my non-injured hand. "Tessa Jones, MCOR."

He reached out and grasped my hand, and as we shook, he introduced himself. "Captain Kay Anderson, MCOR."

 _ **So I took a look at Titanfall fanfics, and figured, hey why not. I'm thinking of having this story told from different perspectives, more so of the people who's excerpts/thoughts will be featured in the starting part of the chapters**_

 _ **I should probably say this now: I do not own Titanfall, and neither have I played it. What I'm writing this for is due to me reading other Titanfall fanfics, E.g.**_ _ **The architects saga,**_ _ **Titanfall: The losing side, Winter soldier and it's sequel. I read those stories, and it interested me enough that I looked at the universe that inspired those stories. A Universe that, as I am writing this, still very much unexplored.**_

 _ **Maybe this is why I'm writing this, maybe not. All I know is this is probably the longest Author's note I have written, and will probably write**_


	2. Juger

_When the first shots rang out, panic arose. I ushered what little occupants of the bar into the back room, leaving the Bartender to defend them, an old war Winchester as their only defence. When I left the bar, shit had already hit the fan. Militia and IMC, all fighting within the district. Neither cared about the civilians, so I did what I could. When the Sentinel warped over the city, I had thought it would be over. I was right, just not in the way I thought. And now, I'm left to deal with the aftermath._

 _~Captain Alexander Miller, 5_ _th_ _Guards Troop_

"Captain Miller, where were you on the day of the attack?"

I stood straight, keeping my eyes forward as I replied. "I was in the Harbour district sir, in a bar down on 12th avenue." The hologram infront of me flickered, while Blisk, Vice Admiral Graves and spyglass sat flanking it.

"Why was the Captain not a participant in the battle?" Spyglass inquired. I looked to Graves, and seeing his nod, I continued. "When the battle started, I ushered the civilians in the bar to the backroom, and left them with the bartender who had a weapon. Upon leaving the bar, I spotted Captain Bracken shooting down hornets."

I struggled to keep my voice level. "Sir, what I saw was a reckless engagement that endangered both civilians, and their trust in the IMC to protect them. Therefore, I took the steps to protect and escort the civilians to proper shelters until the battle was over."

The commander frowned as Spyglass made a small noise disapprovingly. "Pilot, you're one of the most effective weapons of this fleet. You cannot let civilians distract you from your duty!" The hologram flickered in sync with the shouting.

I grit my teeth. I knew civilians had become nothing but numbers to the men back in the core, but I thought they'd at least care about their image.

Spyglass stepped forward. "I believe this hearing has concluded. Pilot Alexander Miller's penalty shall now be decided. I vote to strip the pilot of his rank, and place him in the 12th squad."

Blisk shook his head. "Can't do that. Morale would plummet if someone as noticeable as him was relegated like that."

"Morale, such a useless human concept."

"With your permission sir," Graves interrupted the spectre, turning to face the hologram. "I propose that the pilot be demoted to a second lieutenant for a probation period, and be transferred to a different ship."

"Through this, I believe that the punishment will be heavy enough that others may learn, yet light enough that Morale won't drop in the soldiers thinking that we're discarding valuable personnel."

"I think it's a good idea." Blisk nodded.

"Then it is decided." The hologram grew taller as the person stood up. "Pilot Miller, from now on you will bear the rank of second Lieutenant for a period of 2 months, or until Vice Admiral Graves or other commanders deem you ready to step up again. Is that clear?"

I snapped to attention. "Yes sir."

"I'll leave it to your commanders to figure out your transfer, while I go and figure out how to appease the public. Hammond out." The hologram flickered out as I lowered my hand, returning it to my side as I kept my gaze forward.

Spyglass left the room first. Blisk followed soon after, stopping beside me and placing his hand on my shoulder. "You fight with your values held tight kid. Keep your head on straight, and it'll all be over soon enough."

"At ease pilot." I shifted to clasp my hands behind my back as Graves walked up to me. "Walk with me." I spun to follow him as he walked out the room.

"What did you join the IMC for son?"

"Revenge." Graves turned his head to look at me, silently asking me to continue. "When I was younger, I was adopted by this couple after their daughter took a liking to me. A few years later, some IMC officers came by the house and 'relocated' them."

I tried to keep the venom out of my voice, though judging by the look I got from Graves, I was failing. "So revenge against the IMC? Kind of suicidal, telling the commander of the 1st fleet, don't you think?"

I chuckled, shaking my head. "I rose through the ranks after I got recommended for pilot training, and when I got high enough, I searched through the records for the men, but what I found was something else."

"They had turned up dead, barely 2 weeks before the incident. I found that my anger was misdirected, and I threw my entire self into combat."

Graves was silent for a minute. "So what changed?" he leant on one of the railings overlooking the hangar, the technicians and engineers rushing around the titans and goblins below us. "You obviously have something else for you now, or you would have surely fought back in Angel city."

I stayed silent, observing the bustle in the hangar. "I fought with nothing but rage and anger for two years. But with every life I took, every settlement I helped raze for the IMC…"

I stopped, searching for a way to describe it. "You found a new purpose then?"

I nodded numbly. "Yeah, that works. I decided to stop fighting for myself, and start for them you know?"

I turned to look at the commander, to see him staring at me in wonder. He chuckled, smiling to himself. "If we had more men like you, we would have won this war years ago."

"If you had men like me you'd have to sit through more hearings with Hammond." We shared a laugh, before he took a look at the display on his wrist, frowning slightly. "You better not change during your transfer Lieutenant."

I turned to face him as his tone changed. "Lieutenant Miller, you have been re-assigned to the IMC Infinity, in the Curtis system, effective immediately. Dismissed."

I snapped into a salute. "Yes, Vice Admiral."

I turned around, walking back towards my bunk in the officer's quarters. I ignored both pilot and crew who turned to look at me as I passed, stopping outside the door.

"Heard about the hearing. Tough shit man."

I turned to face the man who was leaning against the doorframe of his room. I smiled, shrugging slightly. "Had to be done, I got off lightly." I opened the door to my room, entering and throwing essentials into a spare bag I had.

"Light my ass. A demotion and reassignment to a Symphony class destroyer seems pretty bad to me." The man shook his head, peering into my room.

"It's only temporary Dane. And besides." I grunted, shouldering the bag. "Always wanted to explore a bit more."

As I moved to walk past him, he placed his hand on my shoulder. "We'll be here, if you ever need to talk. I'm not the best with stuff, that's more of Shauna's thing honestly. Point is, what happened with Jacobs, we know it bothers you, and all, but we're still here if you need us."

Dane's face was serious, a change from his normal deadpan as he searched for words. I smiled at him as he let go off my shoulder. "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind."

"Try not to destroy too much out there."

I laughed, throwing my hand up in farewell as Dane called out to me. The Curtis system was far away, and I still had to find a way there.

~ _3 Days Later_

"Lieutenant Alexander Miller, reporting for reassignment as ordered sir."

The man in front of me sat in his chair, eyes roving over me. He looked to be in his late 40s, and had long since seen combat judging by his figure.

"Put him under Captain Sly."

The soldier who had brought me in saluted the commander, before turning away and leading me out of the room. He kept casting looks back at me. I didn't like it.

"The captain can be a bit… untrusting of new people." He spoke, seeing the question. "The commander knows this, but he probably did it on purpose. So…" The man trailed off, leaving me to wonder the reason.

We stopped in front of a set of closed doors, the plaque announcing the room behind it to be 3rd squad's. From behind it, shouting and laughing.

I pushed open the door as my guide retreated back down the corridor.

The room were full of bunks, some clean, most messy. The clean one's all had people sitting on them, while in the centre of the room, a table was set up, with a good 15 men gathered around, bottles in hand.

As they took notice of me, one of the occupants at the table got up, laying down his cards and staggering towards me. "Yer my new pilot yeahhh? Millerrrr?" The smell of whiskey wafted off his body, filling the gap between us.

I nodded, and suddenly, I was receiving a half-empty bottle of alcohol, as it was hastily pushed into my hands. I looked at the bottle wearily, before putting it down on the table.

"I don't drink, and I'm rather tired from the trip. Which bunk you want me in?"

The man narrowed his eyes, and I swear I could see both coherence and cunning flash in them, before they disappeared as he shrugged, pointing at a bed with another pilot sitting on it. Said pilot stood up as I made my way over to him, extending his right hand as I approached.

I gripped his hand loosely before introducing myself. He introduced himself as Sergeant Francis. No last name, just Francis. "I sleep on the top bunk, so you can have the bottom."

I nodded, sitting down on the bunk as Francis started talking. Off in the other parts of the room, the laughter and merriment continued. I frowned as I watched them, and seeing my gaze, Francis spoke up.

"They're usually like this, so you ought to get used to it. All the Infinity does is sit in this system to give the locals some security." I turned to face my bunkmate as he told me of this.

"Most of our guys are either fresh out of training, or those looking to end their military careers but still want the pay." He sighed, turning to face me. "Though for what it's worth,"

"Welcome to IMC Infinity's 3rd Squad"


End file.
